If you missed the Jason Callahan Benefit Saturday night at the Peabody American Legion, you missed a truly heartwarming event for a popular young man from our area. Jason has begun a powerful series of chemotherapy treatments in his battle against cancer. The money raised will help him and his family live as normally as possible while he undergoes the treatment.

I am not one of the organizers of the event, so I don’t feel as though it is my place to announce the amount of money raised, but I assure you that it was significant. There was some talk of matching dollars from a Wichita car dealership and if that pans out, the amount of money raised will be tremendous.

And the point of my comment today is what people in small towns can do when they work together with a common purpose and great heart. People from a half-dozen towns in Butler, Harvey, and Marion counties came up with some pretty creative items to auction off. Many of the buyers paid far more than they should have just to write a check to help one of their own. All the food was donated and even though there was no charge to get in, the women at the door took hundreds of dollars in donations from the nearly 500 people who came through.

Thanks to the organizers from Peabody, Potwin, and Marion who pulled in creative donations from their communities. Thanks to everyone who donated cash or merchandise or who purchased drinks, food, and auction items. Thanks to the entertainers, the auctioneer and the “lady ringmen” and everyone behind the scenes. Thanks to Myrna Wood for putting it all together and to the American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Post 95 staff for their patient assistance.

One of the best reasons I know to live in a town like this happened right here Saturday night.

— SUSAN MARSHALL